Jean-Eric Vergne: Red Bull's next world champion?

Ahead of his maiden season in Formula 1, Toro Rosso rookie Jean-Eric Vergne tells Sam Tremayne how he's determined to repay the faith shown in him by Red Bull and mark himself out as a star of the future

If Jean-Eric Vergne needed reminding that Red Bull can be a hard task-master, he need look no further than the team with which he will undertake his maiden season in Formula 1…

Scuderia Toro Rosso's decision to drop Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for Vergne and his fellow Red Bull protege Daniel Ricciardo – 21 and 22 years old respectively – came as something of a shock. That one of Buemi and Alguersuari might be dropped seemed likely, but both being told to look elsewhere caused widespread surprise and, in some quarters, consternation.